We are standing on holy ground. And I know that there are angels all around.
There are many places on this earth that feel holy to me, where God seems somehow closer. These places are sometimes called "thin places" where the veil between this world and that greater reality of the presence of God seems transparent. It is as if you could just about touch the edge of heaven. I feel this way often in sacred places of worship - places where people have sang and prayed and worshipped God with all of their heart.
I feel this too during communion, when the ancient practice of blessing and sharing a meal seem to echo through the ages. There is mystery and joy, completeness and peace. Often, when we gather around someone who is dying, and we pray that he or she would go with God, there is that sense that the things unseen are far more real than anything we can see with our eyes. It is frightening and comforting simultaneously.
I think also of places where I have felt great love: my home; the homes of my parents and grandparents; places where I have had holy conversations; space made sacred by the love of God and of neighbor. These places still feel sacred to me, even when the occupants are gone.
Just about any clear stretch of beach, where the ocean waves pound and the seagulls cry, that too is holy. As is the top of a mountain peak covered with tall pine and sprinkled with wild flowers and refreshed with the run off from melting snow and ice. Anywhere that reminds me of my own insignificance compared to the majesty of God. Anywhere where the Spirit blows away the remnants of harsh words and brings the healing of a kindness unasked.
I think God wants us to find these places. If we seek to make sense of this life we are living, we need holy places. Places that remind us of our hope for something greater. Of our desire to be the person we are called to be. Whether it be in the context of a community at prayer and worship, or in the midst of those who love you, or in the beauty of a place that calls to your soul: seek after it. And be sure that wherever that place is for you, God is already there.